INTERNATIONAL TRADE : Keith Cos. Teams Up With Yugoslav Firm for Building Projects

The Keith Cos., a private engineering and planning firm in Costa Mesa, said it has teamed up with a Yugoslav company to bid for major international construction projects.

Centroprojekt, the Yugoslav company, is one of that country’s largest architectural and engineering firms.

Currently, the two companies are working together to bid for three hotel projects in Yugoslavia with a combined value of $75 million, said Larry Mandell, Keith senior vice president.

“We’ve agreed to combine our resources on a project-by-project basis,” Mandell said. “What they want from us is knowledge in marketing, project coordination and how to be competitive in the open market.”

Keith President Aram Keith said: “This professional alliance will open Western and Eastern European markets to the Keith Cos.”

In addition to projects in Yugoslavia, the companies are also bidding for projects in Algeria and Ethiopia, Mandell said. This is Keith’s first foray into the European market, Mandell added.

Until recently, Centroprojekt worked exclusively on military projects such as building bases and training grounds for Yugoslavia’s armed forces. But with changes in the country’s economics and politics, Centroprojekt has shifted toward commercial projects.